OFFICIALS TODAY? YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT, JESSICA, FOR MORE THAN 24 HOURS NOW, NATURAL GAS HAD BEEN LEAKING AND SURROUNDING THE AREA JUST OUTSIDE OF BLANCHARD, WHERE THAT OIL WELL BLEW. I ALSO TALKED WITH NEIGHBORS WHO SAID THEY WERE JUST READY TO GO HOME. WE JUST KEEP ASKING FOLKS TO HEED THE EVACUATION NOTICE, WILL TRY AND GET THEM HOME AS SOON AS THEY CAN. SEVERAL RESIDENTS IN GRADY COUNTY FORCED TO EVACUATE ON THURSDAY WHEN AN OIL WELL NEAR BLANCHARD BLEW OUT. IT’S BEEN PRETTY STRESSFUL. THEY DIDN’T WANT TO LEAVE AT ALL FOR SURE, AND HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE NOISE. WE BASICALLY JUST PACKED UP EVERYTHING WE POSSIBLY COULD FOR THE KIDS AND JUST RAN OUT THE DOOR AND THEN GOT A HOTEL AND STAYED IN THE CITY TODAY. THE CONCERN IS PREVENTING SOMETHING WORSE FROM HAPPENING, AND THAT MEANT SHUTTING OFF POWER LINES AROUND THE AREA. ALL THE GASES ARE SETTLING AND WE DON’T WANT SOMETHING TO IGNITE THEM, WHETHER IT’S A VEHICLE THAT SHOULDN’T BE IN THERE OR THE ELECTRIC LINES THAT ARE SPARKING. SO FAR, NO ONE’S BEEN HURT. THE OKLAHOMA CORPORATION COMMISSION TELLING KOCO THEY ARE MONITORING THE SITUATION AND THEY’RE IN CONTACT WITH THE WELL OPERATOR TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE FIXED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. CREWS ARE STILL ON THE SCENE TRYING TO CAP THE WELL. THEY’RE SPECIALISTS FOR RESPONSE TO THIS KIND OF EVENT. ARE HERE TRYING TO SAFELY SEAL THIS THING UP SO EVERYBODY CAN GET BACK TO NORMAL. AND GUYS, I JUST GOT SOME BREAKING NEWS ON THIS DIRECTOR FLOREZ TELLING ME THAT THE SITE HAS NOW OFFICIALLY BEEN CAPPED AND POWER IS GOING TO BE RESTORED. OILFIELD WORKERS WILL BE IN THE AREA FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS TO DO CLEANUP. SO GOOD NEWS HERE FOR THE CITIZENS AROUND BLANCHARD AS ONCE AGAIN, THAT SITE JUST NOW BEIN
Grady County families await return home after oil well blowout
Residents in Grady County remain evacuated as crews worked to cap a blown-out oil well near Blanchard, with emergency officials urging caution.
Families in Grady County are waiting to return home after being evacuated due to a blown-out oil well near Blanchard that leaked natural gas for nearly 24 hours.>> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel | Sign up for KOCO 5’s Morning Newsletter”We just keep asking folks to heed the evacuation notice. We’ll try to get them home as soon as we can,” said Bill Flores, Grady County Emergency Management interim director.Several residents were forced to evacuate on Thursday when the oil well blew out. Broc Hoss, a resident affected by the evacuation, described the situation as “pretty stressful,” noting that people were reluctant to leave and concerned about the noise. McKinzee Hoss, another resident, said, “We basically just packed up everything we possibly could for the kids, and just ran out the door, and then got a hotel and stayed in the city.”WATCH: Sky 5 shows well blowout continuing Friday amid evacuations in BlanchardThe primary concern now is preventing further incidents, which has led to shutting off power lines around the area.”On site, the gases are settling, and we don’t want something to ignite them, whether it’s a vehicle that shouldn’t be in there, or the electric lines that are sparking,” Flores said. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is monitoring the situation and is in contact with the well operator to ensure a swift resolution. Crews were able to cap the well Friday evening.”Their specialists for response to this kind of event are here trying to safely seal this thing up, so everybody can go back to normal,” Flores said. Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.KOCO 5 has reached out to Staghorn Petroleum for further details, but no official comment has been provided. Flores mentioned that an investigation into the cause of the blowout will be conducted once it is safe to do so.Top HeadlinesRestricted access being allowed after oil well blowout forces evacuations in BlanchardMap: Census estimates show nearly 40% of homeowners have no mortgage. See whereCatherine O’Hara, actress best known for roles in ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Home Alone’ diesTIMELINE: Snow showers possible Friday in Oklahoma as Arctic wave continues‘Incredibly sad story’: Logan County community in shock after woman found dead in trash can
Families in Grady County are waiting to return home after being evacuated due to a blown-out oil well near Blanchard that leaked natural gas for nearly 24 hours.
>> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel | Sign up for KOCO 5’s Morning Newsletter
“We just keep asking folks to heed the evacuation notice. We’ll try to get them home as soon as we can,” said Bill Flores, Grady County Emergency Management interim director.
Several residents were forced to evacuate on Thursday when the oil well blew out.
Broc Hoss, a resident affected by the evacuation, described the situation as “pretty stressful,” noting that people were reluctant to leave and concerned about the noise.
McKinzee Hoss, another resident, said, “We basically just packed up everything we possibly could for the kids, and just ran out the door, and then got a hotel and stayed in the city.”
WATCH: Sky 5 shows well blowout continuing Friday amid evacuations in Blanchard
The primary concern now is preventing further incidents, which has led to shutting off power lines around the area.
“On site, the gases are settling, and we don’t want something to ignite them, whether it’s a vehicle that shouldn’t be in there, or the electric lines that are sparking,” Flores said.
Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is monitoring the situation and is in contact with the well operator to ensure a swift resolution. Crews were able to cap the well Friday evening.
“Their specialists for response to this kind of event are here trying to safely seal this thing up, so everybody can go back to normal,” Flores said.
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.
KOCO 5 has reached out to Staghorn Petroleum for further details, but no official comment has been provided.
Flores mentioned that an investigation into the cause of the blowout will be conducted once it is safe to do so.
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